Angels play small ball in win over Red Sox

Aug 8, 2007 - 7:19 AM
ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- While history was being made
six hours to the north with the long ball, the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim were doing what they do best: winning with
small ball.

The Angels scored five runs in the fifth and Joe Saunders gutted
his way through 5 1/3 innings en route to a 10-4 victory over
the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

Gary Matthews Jr. drove in four runs and stole a home run by
Coco Crisp with a leaping catch in center field for Anaheim,
which has taken the first two games of the series from the
American League East-leading Red Sox.

"Gary's catch off my bat definitely swung the momentum in the
game," Crisp said. "I knew I hit the ball well but didn't think
it was hit hard enough to go out."

While Barry Bonds had the market cornered for the night on
homers - blasting No. 756 for the San Francisco Giants against
the Washington Nationals - the Angels overcame a two-run deficit
by scoring five runs in the fifth inning on the strength of
just one extra-base hit.

"This team has been so resilient and for us to be down and come
back and capitalize like that, shows me how good of a team we
are," Matthews said.

Chone Figgins led off the frame with a walk and stole second,
coming home on Orlando Cabrera's double. Boston starter Tim
Wakefield (13-10) then walked All-Star Vladimir Guerrero, and
Garret Anderson reached on a fielder's choice when Julio Lugo
booted a routine grounder to shortstop, which loaded the bases
with no outs.

"Defense is a big part of the game and there will be games when
we make mistakes and games when we play great defense, it's just
a part of baseball and tonight we didn't do the things to win,"
Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

Matthews followed with a single to left, plating two runs and
chasing Wakefield from the game.

"I felt like I have been swinging a better bat lately, but I
just try to go up there and apply pressure on the defense when
our leadoff guys get on," Matthews said.

Righthander Manny Delcarmen came on in relief and got Casey
Kotchman to ground to first base for the first out of the frame
before Macier Izturis grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring
Anderson to push the Angels' lead to 6-4.

"As the game went on we had more chances to put runs on the
board and we got the clutch hits that we needed tonight," Angels
manager Mike Scioscia said.